Maiden Voyage!

Yesterday was pure enjoyment!  I left work at Noon because I felt I deserved it. This is how my afternoon/evening was spent:

• Nordstrom - bought a dress! 
• Running - headed back to LC and went on a 3 mile loop.  Poor planning on my part.  This loop involves a very large hill, on the main road into town.  I started out around 1:45, and soon realized that it was HOT out.  This resulted in me having to walk halfway up said hill.  So. Embarrassing.  I know I stare at every single person I see running alongside the road.  So when I am the runner, I like to have good form, speed, and a non-grimacing look on my face.  Yesterday was quite the opposite.  I think I looked like the Geico caveman trudging up the hill. 
• Home - Now this is where things turned tragic for about 25 minutes.  It started fine, but then it came time to load up my kayak.  I can get it in just fine, however I have to use these stupid ratchet straps to secure it.  I don't know why these are so challenging for me.  But they are.  And when I struggle with something I tend to throw a hissy fit.  But after 25 minutes of struggling and cussing and stomping around, I got it figured out and was on my way.  I then realized I forgot my paddle and had to go back home and get it. 
• Kayaking (!) - Maiden voyage was a success!  It was a work out this time.  Bonnie and I put in at the LC bridge and paddled down to Paradise Point.  Minor heart attack when a speed boat drove by.  We were both sure we would capsize when the waves hit us...but it turned out fine.  Oh and I had another minor heart attach when a butterfly flew in my face.  I hate bugs.  We returned 2 hours later, starving and tired.  No pictures because my co-kayaker said she would "cut me" if I took her picture.  Although 1 weirdo sunning herself at the beach when we were launching did take our picture on her camera phone.  No lie.  Odd.
• Food and friends - Delish food and beverages were in order for the warm night!

(Here is where I would post a picture of our beverages, but I am getting an error message because I am posting this from work and our brower is no longer supported by Blogger.  Lame!)

And So It Begins...

Oops, I only posted once last week.  Sorry!  My slacker tendancies have begun!

And I was going to post yesterday, but I got so wrapped up in the days excitement that I forgot.  We have a new addition to our family....a KAYAK!

Kevin came and met me at work and took me to pick one out!  Best Monday I have had in a while.  Dick's Sporting Goods was having a sale, so it brought the price down a bit.  And no I didn't get a super luxerious professional model, but whatevs.  Once I get good I am sure a sponser will step in and take me pro.  At that time companies will be lining up for me to test their product.  RIGHT?

I am leaving work early tomorrow on our 80 degree Wednesday, pictures to follow!

Weekend Recap:

Friday, I went to a party to celebrate my cousin Courtney's graduation from the Portland Art Institute.  She makes amazing handbags...In fact the Portland Mercury even named her one of their favorites.  I had a cocktail and then went to enjoy an evening with two of my favorite gals - Bonnie and Steph.

Saturday Kaci and I went and hung out with my sister Crystal and the kids.  Check out Hunter's  new glasses!  Ha...he was playing in the junk drawer and these gems made an appearance.

Sunday was spent cleaning and then we headed to the river to sit in the sun with Kev and his fishing buddies. 

And I almost forgot Kaci's favorite part of the weekend - PIGGIES!  Grandpa Floyd brought some piglets to the farm.  I don't have the heart to tell her what will happen to these little guys.  Maybe I will tell her over bacon.

Here piggy piggy piggy!

Oh and some frosting...

That's about it.  More to come on Thursday.

Not another hate-filled post about Monday

Hello friends!

What a weekend!  Fun times were had by all.  I got some couch time alone with wine on Friday evening.  Then Saturday we had a BBQ!  Carne asada tacos with grilled avocados.  Yes...grilled avocados.  I didn't take a picture because I was too busy laughing with my friends and stuffing my face.  Kevin was a trooper, as it turned out that it was just the ladies for dinner.  He cooked and cleaned while us ladies held court on the deck.  Nikki, Bonnie and Steph - thanks for the evening!

Now let's talk about Dads.  Mine is the best ever. 

Kaci has a pretty great Dad as well...and so does Kevin.  Sunday was spent running Kevin's errands with him.  This included buying himself an ice cream cake from Baskin & Robbin's.  Why didn't I buy him this cake you ask???  It's because said cake costs $23 and he will only likely eat 1 sliver. 

Yes, he did walk in alone  and have the lady write "Happy Father's Day" on this cake. 

We then went home, prepared a Father's Day bloody mary, and then went over to Kev's Dad's for dinner.  Enjoyable.

And here is Kaci with her monkey.  Monkey has apparently developed violent tendencies as she feels the need to wear a monkey handling glove.

And a retarded self portrait of my glamorous new hat.

Welcome to  my new follower NIKKI!  WHOOOO!

Up The Proverbial Creek...

I got the chance to go kayaking last night!  I have been wanting to do this for quite some time, but never had the necessary tools required for this hobby.  But my brother stepped up and purchased a couple kayaks, and was kind enough to let me borrow one.  Thanks Jake!  I will return it with beer...which you of course you will be required to drink with me.

As soon as I pulled out of Jake's driveway with the kayak in the back of my Ridgeline, I became Jaci the bad ass.  I felt so cool.  I finally had something to put in the bed of my car truck!  Whoooooo! 

Here is a picture of me in the white water:

Sorry so blurry...just shows you how fast I was traveling.

Here is my co-kayaker - Bon Bon:

And a picture of Kaci in her "boat":

For the record - Kevin did her hair, not me.  Also for the record, I did not take her in the kayak.

So now I find myself up the creek without a paddle of my own.  I have to return the kayak tonight.  So as I dry my tears, please think of me during your garage saleing. 

WANTED:
GENTLY USED OR BRAND NEW KAYAK IN THE SIMILAR STYLE TO THE ONE SHOWN ABOVE.  (BUT WITH NO BABY IN IT...THAT IS A DEAL KILLER)

Seriously, if you know of anyone who is selling one, please leave me a comment.  Or more realistically, just call me since I know all of my 3 followers have my phone number.

A shout out to the DC!  My Mom tells me I have a few readers.

Made It Through Another One...

There are two kinds of people in the world.  Those that look at Monday as a chance to start things fresh, and those who don't.  I am definitely part of the second group.  I despise them.  You would think I would get used to this horrific day that rolls around every week, or at least find a way to cope.  But I haven't.  So as this Monday comes to an end and  I feel my mood lifting, I kind of feel like writing.  So I thought I might use this blog to run down my list of Yeahs and Nays for this June 11th.  So here goes...

Nays:

1. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. but not being able to fall back asleep until 6:20 a.m., only to have your alarm go off 10 minutes later
2. NCUA examiners
3. Forgetting socks for my lunch time run
4. The blisters on each foot that I got from running with out those socks
5. Kevin blowing the deck off for like 965 minutes while I am trying to watch True Blood (Yes, I had the windows open.  No, I didn't get up and shut them)
6. Having to hand wash dinner dishes (ugh dishpan hands!) because you forgot to start your dishwasher Sunday night
7. Whining baby girls named Kaci who really have no valid reason to whine

Now before you mail me a razor blade so I can just end my pitiful life, I should mention the positive aspects of today...

Yeas:

1. Delicious coffee creamer that I didn't get to enjoy all weekend because I forgot it at work
2. Accomplishing a fair amount of items on my to-do list
3. That amazing post work out feeling that even double blisters can't ruin
4. Mission Summer Lime tortilla chips
5. Kisses and hugs from that whiny baby girl named Kaci
6. Completing a blog post
7. Making it through another Monday without cutting someone

Thank you for listening.

Are you a member of the group that looks forward to Mondays?  Then you should probably know that asking someone if they have a case of the Mondays is not funny...ever.

Weekend pics (sorry for the crappy quality...out of batteries for my main camera):

Horseback riding

Gardening with Aunt Crystal

Sunday morning breakfast guests

A Day In The Life Of Me

I am going to go with this type of post for the day.  I enjoy reading about other people's day to day activities, so hopefully you might as well.

Thursdays are one of my favorite days.  One reason is the phones are quiet at work.  I have no idea why, but enjoy it none the less.  Also, I do my grocery shopping on Thursdays.  I LOVE grocery shopping.  I really do.  If I have a solid meal plan for the week and a detailed grocery list, it is pure enjoyment for me. 

So here is how I do it.  And if anyone makes fun of me you will have bad luck for 7 years.

1. Take inventory of items at home - What do I have that needs to get used up?  Currently I know I have a half bag of coleslaw (no dressing on it don't worry), and a half of a pork roast I cooked on Sunday and shredded up. I don't want that to go to waste, so I will incorporate that into a dinner one day. 
2. Develop your meal plan for the time period you are shopping for - I choose to do my shopping on a weekly basis.  I list the days on which I will need to cook dinner.  Here is what it looks like for this week (Thursday - Thursday)
• Thursday - Pork enchiladas & salad
• Friday - Eating out.  It's Kevin's birthday so I am sure we will go to his favorite restaurant Red Lobster.  If you have never seen Kevin eat Red Lobster, you are truly missing out.  He has a system that involves dissecting all of his crab and letting it soak in the dish of melted butter.  Watching will either make you smile or puke. 
• Saturday - Chicken & mushrooms in garlic white wine sauce (skinny taste.com) over brown rice.  And of course wine.  Duh.
• Sunday - BBQ chicken skewers, baked potatoes and coleslaw
• Monday - Stuffed bell peppers and salad
• Tuesday - Kevin goes to Taco Tuesday so I just throw together random stuff for a quick dinner for Kaci and I.  Leftovers.
• Wednesday - Chicken fajitas
• Thursday - Something that Kevin can cook.  Probably mac and cheese or a frozen pizza.  I typically go to spin class or run after work and then meet up with friends.  Home late.
3. Make your list -  Add all of your other food needs and household items.  I didn't list out our breakfast and lunch items because we usually eat the same thing every day.  This is the one I use:

Well can't post a picture of my list because of technical issues.  Lame.  http://www.grocerylists.org/.  It's awesome.

Blogger is pissing me off at the moment.

I love Winco.  I hate bagging my own groceries, but it is super cheap and I know where everything is.

I love reusable bags but never remember to bring them.

I have the luxury of shopping on my hour lunch break.  I leave everything in my car except for cold items.  I bring these in and stuff them in our break room fridge.  This leaves zero room for anyone else to use, but no one has ever complained.

That is it for now. 

Weekend plans:

Cleaning, laundry, possible funeral (we didn't know the man, but should go for support of the family), run with Crystal(?), bloody Mary with Jake and Crystal(?).

I have no real plans and this is exactly how I like it.  I hate obligations and commitments.  Save those for Monday - Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are mine. 

 

Monday Difficulties

Not sure why my font and text size is all over the map.  After several failed attempts all done while typing as angrily as possible on this Monday evening, I admit defeat.

Binky Go?

This is the first thing out of Kaci’s mouth every morning when I walk in to her room. Regardless of if I woke her up or if she was already awake, her mind immediately goes to the Binky. Binky go? Binky go? MOM…BINKY GO? And at the time she is saying this she always has one in her mouth and at least 1 in her hand. She is addicted.

I do believe that binkies could better the lives of all Americans if we were allowed to keep them through adulthood. We probably wouldn’t eat, drink or smoke as much. And if it is indeed so soothing, we may just end up moving our bed times up, thus getting more sleep! A win-win for everyone.

With Kaci's 2nd birthday coming in August, Kevin and I need to start working on our game plan for saying “Bye Bye Binky” as Elmo puts it. The experts reason that prolonged use can lead to dental problems. Sounds expensive, so I guess I will listen to them. I know my parents had some expensive dental bills. I commonly heard "Jaci Dawn, I spent a lot of money on those teeth!"

Needless to say we are in for a challenge. Some common techniques:

• Cut the tip off the Binky - Apparently this should cause her to lose interest in it. We did a test run of this on Saturday. This Binky has now become her favorite one!
• Ignore it! She will give it up on her own - Um I think this is what we have been doing for the past 21 months?? I don't think it is going to work for this girl.
• Only allow the Binky during a set time each day - This is the technique my parents used on the 3 of us and they found success. They tied it to the fridge and we were allowed to suck on it before bed. I think this will be our next tactic.

Wish us luck!

Week in review - Kaci at her finest:
A little yard work,

followed by some much needed pampering.

I'm Rich Bitch!

Yes, it is true.  Not in a 50 Shades of Christian Grey way though, with relationships.  I have the best friends and family a person could ask for.  Though I have known this all along, it was magnified on my 31^st 29^th birthday yesterday.  Let me explain…

The day began like any other…my alarm goes off and I immediately grab my phone and sleepily check my Face Book page.  Don’t judge me.  I already had 2 Happy Birthday posts and it was only 6:30 a.m.!  What a shocker.  I am the worst Face Booker on the planet when it comes to commenting and wishing others a Happy Birthday.  I am too lazy.  I am more of the Face Book stalker.  So it always surprises me when people take the time out of their day to wish me – a terrible Face Book friend – a Happy Birthday. 

As I go through my morning, I receive multiple text messages, emails and my Face Book posts continue to multiply.  It’s a great day!  Then something completely unexpected occurs….a delivery arrives up front.  WHAT? 

Mystery flowers!  The card simply states Happy Birthday Jaci.  This of course threw my productivity out the window.  I am almost 99% sure that it was not my husband.  He can’t even order his own Chinese food (no joke), so it is doubtful he could order me flowers.  Bonnie?  Nope, not her either.  I ponder for the remainder of the afternoon.  I did take a few short breaks to complete some work.  It wasn’t until 4:15 when the girls from work come in to let me know that it was from them.  Jessica, Linda and Erica…Thank you again! 

The day continued to improve with a second delivery of flowers, dinner with Kevin, Kaci and the in-laws, a Corona and a date set for Friday Happy Hour with two of my favorites.  Yes, very rich I am indeed.

And I will leave you with a picture of Kaci.  New Boot Goofin!  Now off to do some work before HAPPY HOUR!!!!

o.k….one more…I call this one BOOZE IN SAFEWAY!  Thanks for your modeling skills Jessica!